Tethered projector ball games



Sept. 7, 1965 M. E. ENGLE 3,204,965

TETHERED PROJECTOR BALL GAMES Filed Aug. 16, 1962 INVENTOR -M/ 4 nv E.[N645 BY $631M ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,204,965 TETHEREDPROJECTOR BALL GAMES Merlin E. Engle, 1882 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, Minn.Filed Aug. 16, 1962, Ser. No. 217,462 1 Claim. (Cl. 273119) Thisinvention relates to an improvement in tethered ball games and dealsparticularly with a game which requires considerable skill to playeffectively.

The object of the present invention resides in the provision of a gameincluding an outer receptacle, a game board, and a support forsupporting a tethered ball suspended above the center of the game board.The game board is slightly concave, and the game is played with marblesor balls of various colors. An object of the game is to use the tetheredball as a means of propelling marbles on the surface of the game boardand through angularly spaced apertures in the wall encircling the board.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a game ofthe type described including a game board which is preferably circularin outline and preferably which is provided with a cylindricalperipheral wall. The game board is preferably divided into fourquadrants, each of which is colored or otherwise distinctivelydecorated, and the marbles to be propelled are similarly colored ordecorated. Each of the quadrants serves as a goal for one of theplayers, and the peripheral wall adjoining each quadrant is providedwith one or more apertures which are of somewhat larger diameter thanthe marbles and through which the marbles may pass. The game is playedby placing a marble 0n the table, and swinging the tethered balloutwardly along its arcuate path. When the tethered ball is released, itswings down over the center portion of the game board to strike a marbleand an attempt is made by each player to knock all of the marbles of hischosen color through the opposite quadrant f the game board which issimilarly colored.

When a tethered ball of the type described is released, it normallytends to swing over the center of the game board beneath the point ofsuspension. However, means are provided so that if the tethered ball ismerely released, so as to swing over the center of the game board, themarble which is located at the center of the game board cannot bedirected to the apertures in the wall of the opposite quadrant. This isaccomplished by spacing the holes on opposite sides of the center ofeach quadrant, and by providing notches in the upper surface of theperipheral wall at the center of each corner, and by arranging thetethered ball support in such a way that any ball passing through thenotch and over the center of the game board will cause the marble tostrike the opposite side of the peripheral wall inwardly of theapertures in the opposite quadrant. As a result, in order to propel asingle marble from the center of the game table through an aperture inthe opposite quadrant, it is necessary for the player to propel thetethered ball so that it will not pass over the center of the gameboard.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the fact that asthe game progresses, the marbles which are not propelled through thewall apertures remain on the game board, and during each turn of play,the player adds an additional ball to the game board. As a result, agroup of marbles will collect at the center .of the game board andconsiderable skill is required for the players to strike the mass ofcollected balls in such a way that the marbles of that player arepropelled through the aperture in the players quadrant.

These and other objects are novel features of the present invention andwill be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specificationand claim:

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In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the game in readiness for use.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan View of the game board and outer receptacleillustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a detailed view of a means of connecting the peripheral wallinto an endless strip and simultaneously forming a socket for the mastwhich supports the tethered ball.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the game board,the position of the section being indicated by the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of the mast inserted into the socketof FIGURE 3.

In its preferred form, the game includes a tray 10 which is square inform, a rectangular base panel 11 and rectangular upwardly extendingside walls 12. When not in use, the tray-shaped body may be enclosed bya telescoping tray-shaped cover, which is-not illustrated in thedrawings.

The rectangularly arranged walls 12 shown in FIGURE 1 as includingcentrally located rectangular notches 13 in each wall through which thetethered ball may swing when the game is played. The upwardly extendingcorner portions of the side walls act toenclose the game and to form asupport for the telescoping cover.

The game board is illustrated in general by the numeral 14. The gameboard 14 includes a circular concave disk 15 which may, if desired, havea circular fiat central portion 16. A downwardly extending peripheralflange 17 supports the concave game board above the level of the supportpin.

A ring-shaped wall 19 of materially greater height than the flange 17encircles the flange 17 and extends upwardly from the game board. Thelower marginal edge of the wall 19 is provided with an inwardlyextending the outer surface of the wall 19. The ends of the wall 19 areconnected by a connecting bracket which includes a central cylindricalsocket 23, outwardly turned flanges 24 extending generallytangentiallyfrom the cylindrical socket 23, and inwardly turned flanges25 connected to the outer ends of the flanges 24. The flanges 24 and 25of the bracket are spaced to accommodate the reversely turned flanges ofthe wall 19 therebetween, thus forming a combined socket and connectingmember. Obviously, when the game is made of plastic or similar material,the game table and wall may be molded in one piece and the socket may beintegral with the wall.

As indicated in FIGURES 1 and 4 of the drawings, the wall 19 is providedwith four angularly spaced notches 26 of generally rectangular form,reducing the height of the wall at these four equally spaced points.These notches complicate the operation of playing the game as will belater described. The peripheral wall 19 is also provided with a seriesof angularly spaced apertures 27 extending thereto, these apertures 27being located on opposite sides of the notches 26. The apertures 27 areof somewhat greater diameter than the marbles such as 29 which are usedin the playing of the game.

The game board 14 is placed within the outer receptacle 10 so that thenotches 26 in the game board are centered with respect to the notches 13in the side walls 12 of the outer enclosure. The game board 14 ispreferably anchored in place in the outer enclosure. The concave desk 15is divided into quadrants indicated by the Patented Sept. 7, 1965 lines30 which extend diagonally between the corners of the enclosure 10. Thefour quadrants formed by the lines 30 are centered with respect to thenotches 26, these notches also being centered between the apertures 27.Usually the inner surface of the wall 19 is colored with the same coloras the segment whichinterjoins so that the players may readily see whichsegment the marbles 29 pass through.

A hollow tubular supporting mast 31 is frictionally engaged in thesocket 23, and is preferably held from rotation in any suitable way suchas by a transverse pin 32 extending diametrically through the lowerportion of the mast and into notches 33 in the upper end of the socket23. An angular upper portion 34 is usually detachably connected to theother upper end of the mast 31 by telescoping an end of the angularmember 34 into the mast 31. The upper mast portion 34 is preferablykeyed to the lower portion 31 by a cross pin 36 extending diametricallythrough the member 34, and notches in the upper end of the member 31which are similar to the notches 33 in the sockets 23.

When in place, the horizontal arm 37 of the angular member 34 extendsdirectly over the center of the concave disk 15. A flexible string orthread 39 is suspended from a point directly over the game board center,and a ball 40 is suspended from the mast by the cord 39. The cord 39thus permits the ball to be swung like a pendulum in the playing of thegame.

A cup shaped receptacle 41 is mounted upon the base panel 11 of theouter enclosure in one or more of the corners. The receptacle 41 mayserve as a penalty box for containing marbles improperly driven from thegame board as the game is played.

In the playing of the game, one to four players may be used. Each playeris given a predetermined number of marbles which are similar in color ordesign to that of the quadrant of the board which is opposite to it. Theball 40 is then swung outwardly through the notches 13 and 26 and isthen released to permit the ball to swing downwardly through the notchesto strike the marble on the game board. If the marble is at or very nearthe center of the game board, it is necessary for the player to swingthe ball slightly to'one side as it is released so that the .marble willnot be struck squarely and may be caromed into one of the apertures inthe players quadrant. The notches 26 limit the extent to which theplayer may drop the tethered ball, thus increasing the difiiculty inaiming and making it necessary to control the tethered ball in such away that it will cause the marble to carom at a desired angle.

If the ball is projected through the aperture in the 4 players quadrant,the marble is taken out of play, the object being to propel all of theplayers marbles through the apertures of the proper quadrant. If a ballor marble of one color is propelled through an aperture in a quadrant ofanother color, it is placed in the penalty box 41.

If the marble does not leave the game board, it will roll toward thecenter of the board and will remain there until the next player plays.Each player in turn adds a marble of his color to the game board andattempts to shoot his own marbles through the apertures of his ownquadrant. In the event a player drives an opponents marble through anaperture in this opponents quadrant, this ball is also removed fromplay. Marbles placed in the penalty box may be removed at any time thecorresponding player takes his turn, but when a marble is removed fromthe penalty box and placed upon the table, the player loses hisopportunity to try to drive the marble from the game board during thatturn.

In accordance with the patent statutes, the principles of constructionand operation of this improvement in tethered ball games have beendescribed, and while an endeavor has been made to set forth the bestembodiment thereof, it should be understood that changes may be madewithin the scope of the following claim without departing from thespirit of the invention.

I claim:

A marble game including:

a concave game board, the peripheral edges of which are substantially ona common horizontal plane,

a peripheral wall encircling said game board,

a most extending upwardly from a point outwardly of said game board andextending to a point directly above the center of the concave gameboard,

a ball fixedly connected'to said mast by a flexible member and supportedabove the center of the game board,

said peripheral wall having apertures therethrough and adapted to permitthe passage of marbles propelled over the surface of said game boardthrough the wall, and

said concave game board having a generally circular central fiat area.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 714,911 12/02Jeisi 27340 735,132 8/03 McCutchen 273-119 2,967,713 1/61 Kumpman 273- XRICHARD C. I INKHAM, Primary Examiner. JOHN M. HORAN, Examiner.

